How Do YOU Get A Great Acoustic Guitar Sound?

  • Thread starter Thread starter BigEZ
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BigEZ

The Devil Has Blue Eyes
Hi All,

Considering you've recorded the best acoustic guitar track possible, what do you do in the mix to get that sweet larger than life acoustic guitar sound? I.e. effects, EQ, etc.

Just looking for some different ideas to try.

Thanks,
 
I would say that your sound should rely on the recording and not in the mix. If you dont get a nice sounding recording, then there is no way to fix it later.

First try to determine what you want from your guitar in that particular song. Is it a rythm poison-like guitar? Is it a fingerpicked phrase that has an important role in a full mix? Is it a folk song with nothing on it but acoustic guitar?

The sound you want for those 3 is very different. I would suggest this as your starting point. Think what you need from your guitar in that particular song. If you want a rythm acoustic then youll want to capture the percusive strumming and very little of the body, so a mi pointing the 12th fret will serve for this. A song in which the guitar is the only or the main instrument will probably need a fuller sound, with more body but not too boomy, with the detail intact.

Think about it and work with different mics and positions, then it'll be a lot easier to mix

Also, if you're going for a "larger than life" sound then try 2 mics and pan them hard left and right. Midside works great for this
 
Oooooh, I know the perfect thing to help if you're just starting.

https://homerecording.com/bbs/gener...iques/acoustic-guitar-recording-101-a-290919/

We've got a thread over in "Recording Techniques" that explains how to record a really nice sounding acoustic guitar track.
Personally, this is what I do "in the mix" to make a great acoustic sound even better...
Ahem... Listen. This has been stated a lot and you're going to probably hear it a lot on here, but when you ask for specifics, it makes things hard because we can't hear what you've recorded, and as such, can't directly fix the problem you have.
With EQ, you really want to make sure you just get a really good sounding recorded track first. If you don't like the sound of it when you're monitoring, go out there and move those mics around.
If it's still impossible for you to get a good guitar sound after that... Just soak it in reverb and it'll sound "deep" and "heart-felt." xD
Just kidding. But seriously... Just make sure you get a good initial sound and the rest will be a lot easier.
 
Thanks for the tips. I think I have some good tracks down. I just want to make them sparkle and shine like you hear on pro recordings. The verses are picking just with bass and drums. The bridge and chorus are strumming accompanied by a distorted guitar as well.
 
You seem to have a lot of these "best" kinda threads going.

What are you looking for, solo fingerpicking, solo singer/songwriter stuff, in a mix? What kind of guitar? There's a ton to it, and a bunch of factors that are going to affect how you want to go about it.

Basically, you can do mono or stereo. I'd start with a good mono sound because it's way easier. Get the mics you have, set them up one-by-one in various positions from 6-24 inches away, from the head to the bridge. Record a minute and listen. Make adjustments and go from there.

Once you have a nice sound just from mic placement, then come back and ask some more specific questions about EQ and compression etc.
 
I feel that I already have some good tracks down. Just looking for ideas to add that sparkle and polish to it...mainly on the picking in the verses. 1st verse has is bare with vocals. Second verse has drums and bass as well. I'm using a Taylor GS7.
 
RokZtaR said:
Hi All,

Considering you've recorded the best acoustic guitar track possible, what do you do in the mix to get that sweet larger than life acoustic guitar sound? I.e. effects, EQ, etc.

Just looking for some different ideas to try.

Thanks,
Click to expand...

Start with agood playing & sounding guitar that is properly set up. Change strings enough before the session that they have settled in & are no longer stretching out of tune. Find the guitar's sweet spot and place the mic accordingly. Use EQ to get you the rest of the way so that the guitar sounds good without compression or other effects. Those can always be added during the mix.
 
I understand this guy, it is frustrating when you're asking for something and people answer with something different, but after a while you understand they are right.

Dont worry about effects or eq right now, really, just get good tracks. You may think they are good, but if you feel they are missing a little something, then probably they are not the best tracks for that particular song, specially within a mix. You have to think about the big picture always. Dont try to get a good sounding guitar by itself, but a good sounding guitar within your mix. Try different mic and placements that will give you a sound that is best suited for your song, then youll notice the effects and eq youll need are minimal.

cheers
 
wallystripes said:
Dont try to get a good sounding guitar by itself, but a good sounding guitar within your mix. Try different mic and placements that will give you a sound that is best suited for your song, then youll notice the effects and eq youll need are minimal.

cheers
Click to expand...

This is the main idea behind the concept of not EQ'ing instruments in solo, but rather in the mix.
The only reason you'd need an instrument to sound better soloed than being perfect in the mix is if there's a long section that the instrument is playing by itself... And even then, I'd personally just set up two separate tracks with different EQ's and fade between the two whenever the guitar was going to be soloed.
But seriously, as far as the EQ and reverb go, it sounds like you're just starting out... There's one thread on here that's called something like "When EQ'ing, only 3-4 dB...?"
Someone commented on it saying something like "EQ the instrument so it sounds good in the mix and isn't masking. Repeat for other tracks. Set levels accordingly."
With reverb and E.F.X, it's the same deal. Just try to figure out what sound you're getting out of the effects, and try to make it fit in the mix. Reading the manual helps, if you haven't already. ;)
 
+1 on the new strings. Good room, 2 mics.

I have neither. I use an old SM58, but have recently starting using Impulse Responses on the recorded track, to some success.
 
My favorite acoustic sounds I've done are mostly mono omni. You don't need two mics, and a 57 will get good tracks...not the ideal but usable.
 
Well, i understand what you are asking, but like everyone else is telling you, it has to be recorded the way you want. Again, that starts with a good performance, a great instrument, and the "right" correctly placed mic/mics. I had a session recently where the client asked during tracking if we could place an eq on his acoustic. My response was that I don't have an eq better than moving the microphone. I will however roll of the low end or pop a little 8k on the pre at times, but only if the acoustic is being tracked to a full mix.
having said that, minor eq adjustments,panning, reverb and compression are all tools to experiment with to help achieve the sound you are looking for, but I would say only in small quantities. have fun!!
 
Fresh strings always brings out the shimmer and crisp sound.
I love elixir strings "highly recommend". Use a cup of reverb and 2 table spoons of tuning and a sprinkle of compression you should be all good.
 
new strings, decent room, mix of ldc and sdc in a stereo spread formation... good stuff
 
mixguy said:
Fresh strings always brings out the shimmer and crisp sound.
I love elixir strings "highly recommend". Use a cup of reverb and 2 table spoons of tuning and a sprinkle of compression you should be all good.
Click to expand...

"sprinkle?" That is a perfect word for 'seasoning'! lol!

Problem is, the ingredients don't always make a great pork chop. Especially if the meat sucks. Even worse when bad meat is over seasoned, and over cooked. Dammit, I'm hungry now. Firing up the Forman grill now! Ooh yeah! :)
 
New strings (DR Dragonskins for me) and a good quality guitar with a good player will get you started. Then mic preferance and placement comes into play. I like to use a combination of inputs with an acoustic and mix the ingredients together to give me what I need. I will normally plug an acoustic electric into a DI to get things moving and then use a couple condensor mics that are strategically placed in the sweet spot of my guitar. Every now and then I will place a condensor in the middle of the room to get a different perspective to add to the mix.

I know that I am doing too much and complicating things, but with four different recorded perspectives I am able to collect the entire spectrum of the acoustic guitar.

Also know that more of the sound is cut back than used. Less is more, even when you use more mics.
 
I would definitely try to control to low mids. Use an eq can sometimes do the job but I feel like multiband compression provides the same results without digging in the notes that do not actually have low mids. Hence... more subtle.
 
RokZtaR said:
Thanks for the tips. I think I have some good tracks down. I just want to make them sparkle and shine like you hear on pro recordings. The verses are picking just with bass and drums. The bridge and chorus are strumming accompanied by a distorted guitar as well.
Click to expand...

I have found that a little bit of harmonic exciter on the high mids and the highs puts sparkle on an already good sounding acoustic guitar track.

t
 
A way that I get a really great sound from my big, crappy dreadnaught style thing is the mic over the shoulder technique. Aimed just about where the neck and soundhole meet. Gets rid of a lot of the boominess and brings out the highs a little more. I've heard a lot of great things done with a stereo pair with one aimed at the body and the other at the neck from a couple feet away too.
 
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